Talk:Acupuncture/Proposed lead



Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that involves inserting and manipulating filiform needles into various acupuncture points on the body to relieve pain or for therapeutic purposes. The earliest written record of acupuncture is the Chinese text Shiji (史記, English: Records of the Grand Historian) with elaboration of its history in the 2nd century BCE medical text Huangdi Neijing (黃帝內經, English: Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon). Though thought to originate in China, variations in theory and practice are taught throughout the world mainly differing in their use of Chinese herbology, the choice of acupuncture points and in modern applications the stimulation of points with new technologies such as electric currents. A related traditional practice is moxibustion (灸), the burning of cone-shaped preparations of Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort) on or near the skin often in proximity to acupuncture points.

The traditional theory of acupuncture ascribes its effectiveness to the manipulation of qi (氣, English: air, breath, a form of vital energy) and hsüeh ("vital juices", roughly equivalent to blood) as they circulate through the body. Acupuncture has been the subject of active scientific research both in regard to its theoretical basis and therapeutic effectiveness since the late 20th century, but it remains controversial among medical researchers and clinicians. Research has failed to find any anatomical basis to support the existence of meridians, or the effectiveness of different points in treating specific conditions. Clinical assessment of acupuncture treatments, due to its invasive and easily detected nature, makes it difficult properly control for placebo effects and concerns over publication bias makes it difficult to evaluate the scientific literature. Evidence supports the use of acupuncture to control some types of nausea and pain but evidence for the treatment of other conditions is lacking and several review articles discussing the effectiveness of acupuncture have concluded it is possible to explain through the placebo effect.

The World Health Organization and the United States' National Institutes of Health (NIH) have stated that acupuncture can be effective in the treatment of neurological conditions and pain, though these statements have been criticized for bias and a reliance on studies that used poor methodology. Reports from the USA's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the American Medical Association (AMA) and various USA government reports have studied and commented on the efficacy (or lack thereof) of acupuncture. There is general agreement that acupuncture has few risks when administered by well-trained practitioners using sterile needles  though acupuncture treatments have still caused serious adverse effects including infection, trauma and a small number of deaths.